blah

IPA/blɑː/

KK[blˈɑ]IPA/blɑː/

blahpositive
blahhercomparative
blahhestsuperlative

1.adjectiveC1

Definition

describing a thing — a film, party, meal, or piece of writing — as flat and ordinary, with nothing about it that grabs your attention or makes it stand out.

Example

Rashida said the new pizza place was just blah and not worth a second visit.

predicative use after linking verb 'be'

The hotel room felt blah, with grey walls and a single sad painting above the bed.

describing a place or atmosphere

Common collocations

looked blah
tasted blah
felt blah
a bit blah

Synonyms

boring
neutral and far more common than 'blah'
dull
stronger and slightly more formal
uninspiring
more formal; suggests a missed chance to be exciting

Antonyms

exciting
the natural opposite in everyday speech
vibrant
stronger; full of colour and life

Usage Note

Predicative position is by far the most common — speakers say 'it was blah' more often than 'a blah film'. Almost always carries a mildly negative judgement; never a compliment.

Common Mistakes

The blah movie made me sleepy.

The movie was blah and made me sleepy.

'blah' is rarely placed before the noun; use it after the verb 'be' or 'feel'.

2.adjectiveC1

Definition

of a person — feeling slightly low and tired, with no spark to do anything, even though nothing is really wrong.

Example

Tova has been feeling blah all week and just wants to stay in bed.

collocation: feel + blah for low mood

After her long flight from Tokyo, Kenji woke up blah and skipped his morning run.

Common collocations

feel blah
a bit blah
kind of blah
wake up blah

Synonyms

down
more about mood; slightly sadder
sluggish
focuses on the lack of energy rather than mood
low
common and mild; 'feeling low' is close in meaning

Antonyms

energetic
full of energy and ready to act
upbeat
cheerful and positive

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense describes how a PERSON feels, not how something is. Almost always paired with 'feel' or 'be' plus a human subject.

Common Mistakes

I am very blah today.

I feel a bit blah today.

usually softened with 'a bit' or 'kind of'; rarely intensified with 'very'.

1.nounC1

Definition

long-winded talk or writing that takes many words to say almost nothing — used to mock a speaker who is trying to sound clever, official, or important.

Example

The minister's speech was thirty minutes of blah about teamwork and bright futures.

structure: X minutes/pages of blah

Fadi skipped most of the report because it was full of corporate blah.

collocation: corporate / political blah

Common collocations

corporate blah
political blah
marketing blah
cut the blah
full of blah

Synonyms

waffle
British informal; same idea of long empty talk
nonsense
broader; covers anything silly or untrue, not just empty
guff
British informal; slightly old-fashioned

Antonyms

substance
the real, meaningful content that 'blah' is missing

Usage Note

Uncountable — never 'a blah' or 'blahs' in this sense. Usually preceded by an adjective that names the source of the empty talk: corporate, political, marketing, philosophical.

Common Mistakes

He gave a blah at the meeting.

He gave a lot of blah at the meeting.

uncountable; you cannot say 'a blah'.

2.nounC1

Definition

a sound (almost always repeated three times: 'blah, blah, blah') used at the end of a list or quoted speech to stand in for words the speaker cannot remember, or finds too long, dull, or obvious to spell out.

Example

My boss started with the usual 'team spirit, hard work, blah, blah, blah' speech again.

fixed pattern: blah, blah, blah after a list

Citlali texted: 'Mom called about dinner, the dog, the laundry, blah, blah, blah.'

after a short list of items

Common collocations

blah, blah, blah
the usual blah
and blah, blah, blah

Synonyms

etcetera
more formal and written; lacks the bored tone
yada yada
American informal; very close meaning and feel
and so on
neutral; safe in any register

Grammar Patterns

blah, blah, blah

Usage Note

Almost always tripled — 'blah, blah, blah' — and placed at the end of a list or quoted sentence. A single 'blah' is rare in this sense and may sound incomplete.

Common Mistakes

She said sorry, blah.

She said sorry, blah, blah, blah.

say it three times for the natural rhythm.

3.nounC1

Definition

a mild, lasting feeling of being tired and slightly down, often shown as 'the blahs' — nothing serious, just a flat patch when life feels grey.

Example

Tova had a bad case of the blahs after his summer holiday ended.

fixed pattern: a case of the blahs

Grandma says the long winter always gives her the blahs by February.

collocation: give someone the blahs

Common collocations

the blahs
have the blahs
a case of the blahs
Sunday-night blahs
winter blahs

Synonyms

the doldrums
stronger; suggests a longer, deeper flat period
a slump
broader; can be about work or sport, not just mood
the blues
sadder; closer to mild depression than mere flatness

Antonyms

a buzz
a bright happy feeling; opposite of low and flat

Grammar Patterns

the blahs

Usage Note

Mostly American English. Almost always used with the definite article in the plural-looking form 'the blahs'; the noun version of adjective sense 2. Distinguish from noun sense 1 (empty talk), which is never about feelings.

Common Mistakes

I have a blah today.

I have the blahs today.

fixed phrase with 'the' + 'blahs'.

Word family

blahs
nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All four trail off a list to mean 'more of the same — you get the picture'. 'Etcetera' (often written 'etc.') is the most formal and works in writing of any register, including legal or academic prose. 'And so on' is the safest spoken form: neutral, polite, no attitude. 'Blah, blah, blah' adds a clear note of boredom or mockery — the speaker thinks the rest was empty or predictable. 'Yada yada' (American, made famous by a 1990s TV show) feels close to 'blah, blah, blah' but slightly more playful and less critical. Compare: a manager would write 'reports, invoices, etc.' in an email, but might roll their eyes and say 'reports, invoices, blah, blah, blah' in the corridor.

blah, blah, blahetcetera ↗yada yadaand so on ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

corporate blah
political blah
marketing blah
winter blahs
Sunday-night blahs

Adverbs

really blah
kind of blah
a bit blah

Phrases

blah, blah, blah
the usual blah
a case of the blahs
cut the blah

Prepositions

blah on about
full of blah

Etymology

imitativeAmerican English

An echoic English word that imitates the empty 'bla-bla' sound of someone droning on. It surfaced in print in the United States in the early 1900s, first as the noun for empty talk, then quickly spread to repeated 'blah, blah, blah' as a placeholder. The adjective use ('that film was blah') and the noun 'the blahs' for low mood are mid-20th-century American extensions. Similar mouth-noise words exist in many languages — German 'blabla', French 'bla-bla', Mandarin '巴拉巴拉' — all built from the same kind of imitative babble rather than any shared root.

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blah

blah — adjective

1. describing a thing — a film, party, meal, or piece of writing — as flat and ordi

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. of a person — feeling slightly low and tired, with no spark to do anything, even

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

blah — noun

1. long-winded talk or writing that takes many words to say almost nothing — used t

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. a sound (almost always repeated three times: 'blah, blah, blah') used at the end

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

3. a mild, lasting feeling of being tired and slightly down, often shown as 'the bl

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

blah — verb

1. to keep talking and talking with very little real content — used when the speake

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

Word family

Synonym discussion

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

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